News & Events

A paper describing the results of measurements on the International Space Station using BTI’s bubble detectors was published in the Radiation Protection Dosimetry journal on April 21st, 2015. The article, entitled “Bubble-detector measurements of neutron radiation in the International Space Station: ISS-34 to ISS-37”, describes results from the Radi-N2 and Matroshka-R experiments conducted during 2012 and 2013.

Bubble Technology Industries (BTI) has received support from the Canadian Space Agency for two new research projects. The first project focuses on the development of a new neutron radiation spectrometer for measuring and characterizing neutron radiation on the International Space Station. The second project addresses the development of a new spectrometric technique for detecting and identifying trace quantities of materials during space exploration missions. For more information, please see this article about the full range of programs funded under this initiative.

Cheryl Gallant, Canadian Member of Parliament for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, was on-site today to announce a new $555,281 project award to Bubble Technology Industries through the Canadian Space Agency’s Space Technology Development Program. The funding will support a feasibility study for a Multi-Agent Field Analyzer for Space Applications (MAFASA). This entails developing a new technique to identify components from geological samples gathered in the course of a manned or robotic exploration of extraterrestrial bodies such as Mars, the Moon, or an asteroid. News of this announcement can be found at CherylGallant.com.

On March 26th, 2015, Dr. Martin Smith, a Senior Scientist at Bubble Technology Industries, presented the “Measurements of Neutron Radiation on the International Space Station” to the Canadian Nuclear Society. Protection of astronauts from radiation is a high priority for long-duration human spaceflight, including proposed exploration missions to the moon and Mars. In order to improve understanding of radiation in space, measurements have been performed in low-Earth orbit for many years. These measurements, including those conducted using bubble detectors designed and manufactured by Bubble Technology Industries (BTI), have shown that neutrons contribute significantly to the total radiation dose received by astronauts. Since 2006, bubble detectors have been used to characterize neutron radiation on the International Space Station. These experiments have been performed by crewmembers including Canadian astronauts Bob Thirsk and Chris Hadfield. Results from these experiments can be found in Oxford Journal’s Radiation Protection DosimetryVolume 133 issue 4, Volume 152 issue 4 and Volume 163, issue 1.

As part of the ongoing Radi-N2 experiment, which aims to characterize neutron radiation in various locations of the International Space Station, bubble detectors were deployed in the Japanese Experiment Module on January 6th, 2015. This was the first measurement using a new set of detectors, delivered by BTI in October 2014. More information can be found on the NASA ISS On-Orbit Status Blog for January 6th, 2015.

The Radi-N2 project, funded by the Canadian Space Agency, continues to collect neutron radiation monitoring data using Bubble Technology Industries’ bubble detectors inside the International Space Station (ISS). Measurements were performed recently by NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore in the US Laboratory of the ISS. More information can be found on the NASA ISS On-Orbit Status Blog for February 3rd, 2015.

For more information, please see this article on the Space Ref website.

As part of the ongoing Radi-N2 experiment, which aims to characterize neutron radiation in various locations of the International Space Station, bubble detectors were deployed in the Japanese Experiment Module on January 6th, 2015. This was the first measurement using a new set of detectors, delivered by BTI in October 2014. More information can be found on the NASA ISS On-Orbit Status Blog for January 6th, 2015.

Join BTI at the 65th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Toronto, Canada from September 29th to October 3rd, 2014. BTI will be presenting recent results from the Matroshka-R and Radi-N2 experiments, which measure neutron radiation on the International Space Station using BTI’s Bubble Detectors on October 1st.

If you would like to meet with a BTI representative at the IAC, please contact us at info@bubbletech.ca.

Bubble Technology Industries will be exhibiting at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Annual Conference and Exhibit in Buffalo, NY on Sept 15th– 17th, 2014 and we would like to take the opportunity to invite you to join us.

BTI will be presenting recent results from the Matroshka-R and Radi-N2 experiments, which measure neutron radiation on the International Space Station using BTI’s Bubble Detectors, at the upcoming Workshop on Radiation Monitoring for the International Space Station (WRMISS). The workshop will be held from September 9th to September 11th, 2014 in Krakow, Poland.

If you would like to meet with a BTI representative at WRMISS, please contact us at info@bubbletech.ca.